Steering-gear.



1 PATENTED DEG. 24, 1907.

P. STEiNHAUER. STEERING GEAR. AYPLIOATION FILED JULY 25, 1907.

INVEyT R. Mar .522: hauer WITNESSES:

No. $2 4,709, PATENTED 1350151907;

7 P. STEINHAUER.

STEERING GEAR. APPLICATION FILED JULY 25, 1007.

sums-gunm- 2.

Q F ATilZEY g WIT E5555: I Q INVEJIVTIORJ g I I Fifi) Skin/Miler.

PATENTED DEC. 24. 907,

' STLFINHAUER. STEERING GEAR. APPLIOA'YHONIILBQ'JULY 1007.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

IN VEN TOR.

1; WM M 7 M a Way/3? m f w! ATTORNEY.

WITNESSES:

PETER STEINHAU'ER, OF ST. LOUIS,'MISSOU'RI.

STEERING-GEAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 25. 1907. Serial No- 385.504-

To all whom it may concern:

Be .it known that 1, PETER STEINHAUER,

4 citizen of the United States, residing at St.

Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steering-Gear, of which the following is a full,

clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My" invention has relation to improvements in steeri ear for self-propelled vehicles;o'r automo i es; and it consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts more fully set forth in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

Irithe drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of the vehicle-frame showing my invention ap lied thereto; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudina section o the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertica transverse section on the line 33'of Fig. 2; i Fig. 4 is an enlar ed plan view of the bearing'or box for the lorwardshaft-ends, the cover plate of the bearing being removed; Fig. 5 is avertical section on line 5-5 of 4 with cover plate in position; Fig. 6 is a vertical section on line 66 of Fig. 5 showin the coupling between the vehicle-frame an front truck; Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectionigfn the line 7-7. of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a bottom lan view of the fulcrum platesecured to the out truck; Fig. 9 is an enlarged ele'vational and sectional detail of the screw-shaft; and Fig. 10 is a vertical .transverse sectiontalren through the nut on the line 1010 of Fig Q. The object of my invention is to rovide ga steering-gear for automobiles whic willop crate freely and withno variation inresi'ste ancei'o'r friction under any circumstances, the

truclgto which deflection isimparted being, so coupled to the frame of the vehicle and-toj mechanism that the operation of" the steeri the latter is in no wise affected by the character of the road or unevenness of surface over which the truck must pass.

A further object is to make special provision for controlling and deflecting the truck by which the steering is accomplished, from the driving gear, with a view of reducing the friction between the parts to a minimum.

frame, to permit the truck to pass over any kind of asurfac'e, thereby eliminating all j arease and comfort.

The advantages of the invention will be on the bracket 19, the shaft 24 being H A further object is to effect a special con-- nection between the front truck and vehicleramzea Dec. 24, 1907.

better ap a thereof which is as follows:

Referring to the drawi s, F, represents the frame of the machine, the front oscillating truck, A the axle of the front truck, W,

the wheels thereof, and A the axle of the' rear truck (not shown). The motor shown dotted herein is represented by M, and B, the fly-wheel thereof all of ordinary and well known construction. The motor-shaft S extends rearwardly to the casing Got the transmission gear (which is not here specifically illustrated as it is Well known and forms no part of my invention) from which gear leads rearwardly a short shaft 1 terminating in a bevel pinion 2 which meshes with a similar pinion 3 on a rear transverse-shaft 4 carrying a sprocket wheel 5from which passes a sprocket-chain 6 over a similar sprocket wheel 7 on the rear axle A, thus mparting rotation to the axle. Leading forward from rent from a detailed description the transmission gear is a shaft S Whose front end terminates in a pinion 9 protected by the cover plate 10 of a box or bearing '11 forming part of one of the transverse members of the frame F, the box 11 having secured thereto a plate or casting 12 by means of bolts passed throu h the lugs 13.

Mes 'ng with the pinion 9 is a pinion 14' on the inclined shaft 15, the latter being coupled by a universal-joint connection 16 to 1 an intermediate transmission shaft 17, which in turn is coupled by a universal-joint 16 to an inner terminal inclined shaft 18 mounted in a bearing-bracket 19 which is rigidly secured l by angle-bars 20 and by rods 21 to the-front oscillating truck T, the ends of the rods 21 being looped about the axle A of said truck. The box-bearing 11 serves to support the adjacent ends of the shafts S, 8 and 15 as shown.

The shaft 18 carries a terminal bevel pinion 22 which in turn meshes with a similar pinion 23 on a transverse shaft'24 mounted rovided with a sprocket wheel 25 from w 'ch leads forward a sprocket chain 26 over a large sprocket-wheel 27 on the axle A of the front truck '1. From the trainof mechanism as described, it will be obvious that whenthe motor-shaft S is rotated,-rotation will be impart-ed not only .to the rear axle A, but tof.

adjacent to the rear free curved edgeof Sthe bracket 19' is ascrew-shaft over whose screw-threaded portion is free to travel'in either direction a nut 29, which is guided in its reciprocations by the depending flanges 30 thereof loosely embracing the flange of a b T-bar 31 coupled to the frame F in any mechanical manner as fully shown in Fig. 9, The details of the connection or mode of fastening are not herein entered into as they are not 1m ortant. Formed in the body of the nut be ow the screw-shaft 28 is a chamber 32 elongated transversely to the direction of reel rocation of the nut, said chamber receiving the terminal s herical head 33 of a link or arm 34 securec to the bracket 19. '15 By means of this arrangement, it is per fectly clear that as the nut 29 reciprocates hack and forth along the screw-shaft, it will oscillatethe link or arm 34 and this in turn iwill oscillate. the parts to which it is secured,

namely the bracket-19 and hence the front,

struck 'l. When the nut 29 occupies a mid dleposition as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, theaxle of the front truck will be parallel to thatof the rear truck and the vehicle will travel; forward without deflection, thatis, to zsa in a direct line. As the nut shifts to one sir e of the center it oscillates, the front truck. in a corresponding direction (see dotted posi tion' of truck in F g. 1) the length of the arm 34 being suflicient toalwaysretain the head 33in the chamber 32, the spherical form of the headreducing the frict on. between the parts. i To impart rotation to the screiwshaft 1 35 make the following provis on: liieslnngv'rith the transmission gear in the casing (l, is a pinion 35 on a shaft SG said inion in turn engagmga pini n 3T on a siai t 33 which i (terminates in a bevel pinion 39; ()n'thelad- 40 ,j acent end of the shaft 28 is slidingly feath- ;ered a clutch 40 terminating in bevelpin- [ions 41, 4 1, and the direction of rotation impartedto the screW Shatt will oicourse depend, on which pinion 41 is forced into engagement with the pinion 39. The shift- U ing of the clutch is accomplished by means of an oscillating-arm 42 at the lower end of a.

rotatable stail'43 controlled by a lever ar1n- 1 or handle 44 Within easy reach of the chant- 'feur, the stall 43 being mounted on a bracket '45 or in any other convenient mechanical manner. By oscillating the handle 44in proper direction, either one or the'other of the pinions 41, 41 will be forced into engage-- '55 r'nent with the pin on 3i), and hence the shaft will rotate in one or the other direction and a corresponding reciprocation will be imparted to the nut 29 and a consequent deflection of the front truck inthe direction in which'it is intended that the vehi le shall turn.

E1 1 will now describe t ie 'detailsby which I mount the frame F on the front truck as it is .upon these details that the virtue of the p 'es- "ent iuvention depends: Formed the casting 12 and disposed transversely to the frame bolts 52.

about the stud 49 as an axis or center.

F is a concave groove 46 which receives the flanged portion 47 of the head 48 of a stud 49 sei ving as a kingbclt or center about which the truck T may oscillate. The stud 49 expands into a rounded head 50 resting loosely in a pocket or cavity of a block 51 at the center of the transverse structural member forming the truck T, (Figs. 5, 6, 7); The block 51 is furthermore secured to the truck-bar by interposed between the head 50 of the stud 49 and the bottom of the pocket of the block't'ii is a fulcrum plate 53 the same being circular in contour to conform to the cylindrical pocket which loosely receives it,

the bottom of the plate being formed oi two lane faces IlltlQlJlil" alon. a central knifeedge54, said edge being kept always in a direction parallel to the axlef'g of the front truck since it is about this edge that the truck is free to oscillate vertically as it pass over the ground traveled by thevehicle. The knife-edge therefore permits the frontftru'ck "l,-whatever may be the horizontal deflection oi the latter, to oscillate vertically andthus conform itself to any unevennessii'n'the'roadbed or course travelcdover, without coinmunicating the clients of such unevenness to the traine end to the occupants of the'vehi-' cle. To insure the retention of the hnifeedge. parallel to the axle A, i provide the plate 53 witlia in 5:3 which is loosely received by a soc ret in the bottom .of the pocket of the block 51, the pin preventing the fulcrum plate from tn hing, yet perinit ting'the truck to oscillateabout the edge 54,

' and permittingthe plate to rotate about the bear ng-head 50 of the stud All-during the horizontal oscillations ol'the front truck, the

pin 55 virtually coupling the fulcrum plate to the truck which oscillates horizontally that, the front truck is at all times free to oscillate horizontally about the stud 49 as a viatmg irom a center in turning corners or d direct path, and at the saint oscillate vertically about the hnn for reasons above "stated. 1

The structural truck-member T is coupled free to edge 54 to the plate 12 and parts identified therewith.

by means of the plates 56 resting in a d-spreasion 57 at the upper edge of the pocket in which are confined the parts 50, said plates overlapping the'upp'er face of the head 50' suiliciently to'hold it} in place (Figs. 6, 7), the plates bei secured inposition'by the bolts 58 passed hrough the block 51. It may be stated that the vertical oscillations oi the truck T about the'knife-edge 54 are only slight, but suflicient to eliminate any jars in passing over rough surfaces;

-'l-laving described my invention what I claimis:

1. in a vehicle havinga ii horisontallyoscillatingv trucli, axles son the trucks, means for rotation to the during the travel of the vehicle in a verticalv '5 plane dis osed transversely to the axle of said truck, su%stantially as set forth.

2. In a vehicle, a truck rotatable horizontally about a fixed axis, and a fulcrum plate having a knife-edge about which the truck may oscillate in a, vertical plane, substantiallyas set forth. I V y In a.vehicle,-a body-frame,'a' stud depending therefrom, arounded" head at the ower end of the stud, a'truck having a pocket for the reception of the stud-head, a fulcrum plate interposed between'the studheadand ottom of the pocket, said plate having plane blottom faces meeting in an edge resting on t e the lcrum edge in parallelrelation to the =truck-axle, whereby the truck is capable of horizontal. oscillation about the axis of the stud, and; of vertical oscillation about the edge of the fulcrum-plate, substantially as set 35 forth.

I 4. In a vehicle, a body-frame,'astu"d depending therefrom, a-' rounded head at the ower end of the stud, atruck havin a ocket for the-reception of the stud-hea a lcrumlate inte osed between the studhead an v bottom o the ocket and having a knife edge resting on sai bottom, means or maintaining said knife-edge permanently. in

ocket-bottom, means for maintaining a parallelrelation to the truck-axle, whereby the truck'is at all times susceptible of horizontal oscillation about the stud-axis, and of vertical oscillation about the knife-edge, a. motor, and intermediate gearing between the motor and truck for im arting rotation to the axle thereof and osci ation about the stud aforesaid, substantially as set forth.

5, In combination with a vehicle body- 'frame, a truck having a central ocket, a

stud projecting from the frame an entering the ocket,'a knife-edge fulcrum plate in the poo et su orting sa1d stud,.anda locking pin carrie y the fulcrum-plate and loosely engaging'a socket in the bottom of the pocket for maintaining the knife-edge in permanent relation to the truck-axle, substantially as set forth. I

v6. In combination with a vehicle bodyframe, a truck having a central ocket, astud projecting from the frame an terminating n a rounded head entering the pocket, a knife-ed e fulcrum-plate resting at the bottom of t head, and ates for locking the head to the fulcrum-plate, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature,

inpresence of two witnesses.

PETER STEINHAUER.

Witnesses:

' EMIL STAREK,

T. Evans e pocket and supportlng the stud- I 

